Lock and Key
by MG12CSI16
Summary: A moment between Michael and Jesse about what wasn't in that folder. Spoilers for You Can Run/Game Change.


Because there should have been at least one little scene between Jess and Mike about that empty file. I mean come on, did you see the poor guys face when he saw it? Gosh that just tore me up.

* * *

**Lock and Key**

It's been two hours and Jesse hasn't moved.

Michael's watching him as he slumps against the couch and stares blankly at the TV in their makeshift doctor's house and he knows this is the part where he's supposed to find out what's wrong; as the leader of the team and as a friend. He glances to his right and locks eyes with Fiona. She seems to understand what he wants because she simply nods and scoots a little closer to Sam, hovering protectively over him while keeping her own dark eyes on Jesse.

Exhaling sharply Michael stands and arches his back, his exhausted muscles screaming in protest. He keeps his eyes locked on Jesse as he walks into the room, noticing how the younger man doesn't move even when Michael plops down beside him and smiles.

Pursing his lips Michael sits back and sighs heavily. He's not meant for this sort of thing, feelings just weren't something he dealt well with; even his own. But he knows Jesse; he's watched this man who is now one of his best friends for almost three years now and he knows that something is wrong. His mind wanders back to the safe house where they found him earlier and how he had staggered back to that table, blue file clenched tight in his hand. And he had watched as the color had drained form his friends face and the folder hand been slammed into the ground with pure hate in every movement.

It's the only thing that makes sense, because come on Jesse was a happy go lucky guy and if none of the purely stupid things Michael had done over the past week had made him mad, than this was obviously something bigger than both of them.

"Hey Jess," he tries to sound cheery, and maybe that was his first mistake. Jesse turns and looks at him for the first time since he had sat down with a frown etched on his face. Michael can see the pure agony in his brown eyes.

"Hey," he says. It's stiff and lacking emotion but Michael knows it's a start so he takes it and runs.

"I uh.. you look upset." He finally sputters, eyes darting across the floor as his cheeks flush crimson. He must sound like an idiot. He hears Jesse shift beside him and looks over to see that he has his head in his hands, looking down at his feet.

"I almost had it," he says with a shake of his head and Michael doesn't have a damn clue what he's talking about. Apparently Jesse senses this too and he looks up at Michael with red rimmed eyes and Michael is taken aback. Because this is the same man who didn't even crack under a CIA interrogation yet here he is sitting in front of him with tears in his eyes. Michael feels his stomach clench and he immediately wishes Fi or his mom was in here too because he knows they would know what to say and all he can seem to do is sit and stare. Blinking a few times he scoots a little closer and rubs a hand over his mouth, trying to find his voice.

"This is about that folder? The one you went back for?" Jesse smiles sadly and nods, blowing out a puff of air and wiping desperately at his eyes.

"Riley tried to get me to flip on you guys… Said she could get me access to my mom's file if I just gave her your location." Dammit. Michael is all but fuming now, knowing how much time and effort Jesse had put in to finding his mom's killer and the answers had been sitting right in front of him. He starts to think that maybe he doesn't deserve a friend as good as Jesse.

"Thank you Jess.. It uh, it means a lot for you to give that up for us." He feels ridiculous for even saying that. Of course it was true, he doesn't know many people who would give up a life's worth of digging for a man who was slowly destroying his own life. For some reason he feels like this isn't the end of the story and the looks in Jesse's eyes and the sound of his voice only intensifies the feeling.

"It was all right in front of me, the answers to the all my questions. Names, dates, all of it was two feet in front of me. I should've known it was all too much but I'm all but desperate now Mike." He draws in a shaky breath and leans back against the couch again.

"When you guys came in to get me I thought I finally had my chance. I had it in my hands and I've never felt more _powerful…" _his breath hitches and Michael squeezes his eyes shut, knowing where all of this is going.

"And when I opened it, it was all blank. She handed me a folder full of white paper and I honestly believed her... I believed that she actually had it. " Michael swallows thickly and blinks, feeling his own eyes become slick with moisture. While he may not know how it feels to lose a parent like that he does know what it feels like to have the answers in front of you before watching them be ripped away. He knows how much it hurts.

"Jesse I'm so sorry," he says with such brutal honesty it makes his bones ache, "I wish there was something I could do." With a smile Jesse pats Michael on the back, surprising the older man who just stares at him.

"Mike, save it alright? You wanna make things better, then just end all of this so we can go back to the way things were. Don't worry about me though; I haven't been able to get my hands on that file for years. A little more time isn't going to change anything."

Michael curses under the breath he had been holding, feeling his fingers curl into fists as the anger and desperation courses through his body. He knows he has to fix this, not just for himself anymore but for his family. His entire family. Because after all this time Jesse is his family, and so is Sam and so is Fi. And he knows he will make this right.

No matter what it takes.


End file.
